Networking

The Art of Small Business is just around the corner in Toronto and there are two names that peak my attention: Michael Gerber and Stephen Shapiro.

Why?

Michael Gerber wrote the eMyth series which is one of my all time favourite books.

eMyth Revisited is the book I read that helped me create the plan and the system for one of my first businesses. That was over ten years ago and it’s still a must read.

If you ever struggle with working ON your business because you spend too much time working IN your business, you need to read this book.

I got to meet Michael Gerber in person (at eWomenNetwork) a few years back. He was humble, inspiring and every bit the wise person you expect him to be. I will never forget that experience.

One secret about Michael – he is shorter than you think and smarter than you can imagine!

I met Stephen Shapiro at Peggy McColl’s event for the launch of her book Viral Explosions.

He too is a humble, inspiring and a down to earth kind of guy. I have watched Stephen’s career take off since then, and I have to say – he is a role model for anyone who wants to be a successful author/speaker. This guy is a class act who has not changed in spite of the success he has attained.

This event is packed with other great thought leaders as well. People like:

Jonathan Fields, founder of The Good Life Project

Mitch Joel, author of Ctrl Alt Delete

Chris Buillebeau, author of the Art of Non-Conformity

JJ Ramberg, host of Your Business on MSNBC

John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing

So, why am I blogging about this? Because I really want to go to this event and I can’t. I already have a full day booked with a client and I can’t change the plans I have already made.

But, what I can do is make it a bit easier for you to go if you want. I know some people at The Art of… and because of those relationships, I was able to secure some special pricing for you if you are interested in attending this event.

If you are available to attend The Art of Small Business in Toronto on October 21st use the code below to save some cash.

I want you to know that I am NOT being paid to share this with you.

I am sharing because I have personally met both Michael and Stephen (I like them, and their work), and I am a big fan of Duck Tape Marketing and Mitch Joel.

It’s not every day we get these opportunities right here in Canada and if I didn’t already have plans – I would be there too.

Use the code TWITTERFAN to save $50 per ticket for up to 3 tickets or $100 off each ticket if you order more than 3.

Ashton Kutcher revealed a whole lot more than his real name on the Teen Choice Awards. (It’s Chris btw)

He also revealed some key business principles that I think you might like.

Ashton is a trail blazer. He is the guy that challenged CNN years ago to a race to get to one million Twitter followers. He showed, single-handedly that in today’s socially connected world, one person has more power than an entire media conglomerate. Yes – he got there first.

In this video he has three core messages that resonate with me big time.

Opportunities look a lot like work.

Being sexy means being really smart, thoughtful and generous. Everything else is crap. Don’t buy or buy into the crap.

Life is made up of people no smarter than you. That means you can make up life your own way. Build a life don’t live one – build it exactly the way you want it to be.

I love this because I have worked really fricken hard my entire life to get where I am. I remember what it was like to work for minimum wage, double shifts in retail, and to live over draft to over draft. I dropped out of high school – there is NO way I would have the life I have today if it wasn’t for hard work. The good news is hard work is accessible to all of us.

You can be smart (I know you are already thoughtful and generous). All you have to do is commit to a life of learning. Hyrum Smith says we all need to expand our vocabulary – do this by reading more and your sexy factor will go up tenfold!

Lastly, build that life. This is what I have learned as of late – the more quiet time I take to sit and reflect, the clearer I get on the life I am trying to build. It’s easy to say we can all build our lives but we gotta get off the treadmill called life and think about what you really want. You can’t build it if you don’t take time to create clarity on what you want.

This message is definitely worth five minutes of your time. Watch the video and let me know what you think in the comments below.

As we kickoff the eWomenNetwork conference here in Dallas I wanted to be able to bring you along with me for an inside look at what is happening.

Last night I hosted a Tweetup for the conference attendees and had my social team on hand to help with setting up and learning to use Twitter. We had a great time, but most importantly we helped other entrepreneurs and business owners see the value of using social for their business.

What the video below for more and be sure to follow the #ewnconf hashtag on Twitter as we share insights, tips, images, videos and live quotes from some of the speaker presentations throughout the conference.

One of my absolute favourite tools to use in my business is Twitter because it allows me to engage with other people immediately.

I can get answers to questions about products, programs, people, you name it. All at my fingertips on my touchscreen phone.

Even more, I can GIVE answers to others who have questions about things I am knowledgeable about. This allows me to drive traffic to my website and begin to build relationships with people who are prospective clients by helping them rather than selling to them.

There are three basic ways that I use Twitter to get real results in my business and on this week’s Shop Talk, I’m going to share them with you.

You’ve heard over and over again (probably from me!) about the huge impact that Social Media can have on your business. You’ve probably even tried dabbling a little in using Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn for your business. And, you’ve likely decided that Social Media just isn’t for you.

Have you tried Social Media for your business and thought:

This takes too much time. This doesn’t really work. I’m not getting any responses. I haven’t made a single sale from anything I’ve posted on Social Media. I’m never going to get this. It just will not work for me.

If so, there’s something you should know. You’re not wrong.

You are absolutely correct in your thoughts about Social Media and your business because you are missing one or more of the 4 critical elements to successfully using Social Networking to make money.

Six short years ago, I met Sandra Yancey at my first ever eWomenNetwork Conference and was blown away. Her passion for other business women and entrepreneurs is unbelievably powerful and her determination to help as many women as she can is nothing short of awe inspiring.

After meeting we became fast friends and just last year we began a partnership to help others network on Social Media through eWomenSocial Advantage.

One of the things I love most about Sandra is that she really gets the power of relationships and the impact they can have on your business. This is something I teach in every program or workshop I do because I know that you can’t have a successful business without successful relationships.

During that interview we talked about building relationships with customers that turn them into raving fans, finding strategic partnerships, the busy-ness of business, the best ways to cultivate long-term success, and that was just in the first 15 minutes!

After listening to the interview again, I have decided that it needs to be heard by everyone. So, for the first time, I am making this interview available publicly here on my website. Enjoy!

And don’t forget, there’s still time to join us at the conference! Just click here or on the image below for more information and use code larterVIP to save on your registration!

About Sandra Yancey:

Founder & CEO of eWomenNetwork, producer of The GLOW Project and co-founder of MyGLOW.Net. Awards include Excellence in Leadership from the Euro-American Women’s Council, Entrepreneur Star Award from Microsoft, Woman Advocate of the Year Award from Women’s Regional Publishing, Distinguished Women’s Award from Northwood University, Top Woman Mentoring Leader, The International Alliance of Women (TIAW) World of Difference Award 100 and American Hero by CNN.

Just a couple of months ago I hit a major milestone. My 5th Twitter anniversary!

Yep, I have officially been on Twitter for 5 years and I love it even more than I did when I first joined. And not only do I love Twitter, but I also fully believe in the power it has to massively impact any business that utilizes it on a regular basis in the correct way.

Why do I believe in it so much? It’s because it has absolutely changed my business and is a big part of my success.

But, I wasn’t always a fan of Twitter. There was a time when just thinking about it had me frustrated and panicked because I realized that I had to learn it for my business but, no matter what I tried, I just couldn’t make sense of it.

So, I did what any smart business person does – I invested $200 in someone to teach me all about Twitter. It was the best $200 I have ever spent!

Today, Twitter is the top Social Network referring traffic to my website. I use it for many different things – to interact with my clients, to engage with prospects, to get fast answers to questions, for recommendations on products and services, and even to network before a live event.

As a matter of fact, I will be hosting a pre-conference workshop at the eWomenNetwork Conference on August 8th titled Tweet and Think on Your Feet. (Still not registered for the conference? Just click here and use code larterVIP and for only $997 you’ll get access to the conference plus 3 great bonuses!)

As the Chief Social Officer for eWomenSocial Advantage, I can’t stress enough how important it is to use Social Media platforms before, during and after a big event. It can be the key to connecting with someone that can literally change your business and your life.

You can add people you meet to a list so it is really simple to followup and keep in touch with those you meet.

Hosting a “Tweetup” is an excellent way to meet face-to-face before the event begins. Then the conference or gathering is a way to catch up with friends instead of an intimidating networking obligation.

Once you build a relationship with those you meet at the event you can invite them via Twitter to sign up for your emails or connect on your Facebook page or LinkedIn profile. This will help build your list.

With mobile apps you can have Twitter with you throughout the event and can interact live with others who are there as well as those not able to be there.

You can host a Tweet Chat before the event to get everyone together online and get to know one another better. You chat in real time and it is engaging, interactive and fun!

You can share with your Twitter followers what you see, hear and experience at the event via Tweets, Retweets, images, videos and more.

Twitter makes it super easy to tell others about the awesome person you just met at the event that they really need to connect with.

You can find and connect with businesses and traveler services in the city where the event will be taking place. This can come in really handy when you only have your phone on you and you need a cab or are looking for a great Italian restaurant for dinner.

You can schedule Tweets ahead of time to be posted while you are at the event that will promote your business, your freebie, etc. Nothing pushy, but just a little reminder of who you are, what you do and what you offer so that new followers get a chance to see. Make sure you include links to your website.

Twitter is great because it is the perfect combination of business tool and personal conversation engine all wrapped up in one platform.

Tell me, why do you love Twitter for live events? Share in the comments below!

This training program officially goes on sale next Wednesday for $147 BUT, you can pre-order right now for only $77! Just click to order, check out and, when the program is ready on Wednesday, July 24th, it will be delivered automatically to your inbox!

These are the people that you communicate with on a regular basis (you should be doing so at least once a week) and who have already expressed an interest in your and your services or products. They are people who have registered on your site, purchased a product, or requested more information about you and your business.

These are the best kinds of leads – Warm Leads!

Using these 5 secrets, you can successfully build a great quality list that will become one of your best marketing tools through world of mouth marketing…

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